


honey

by prkslut



Category: NCT (Band)
Genre: Alternate Universe - College/University, Angst with a Happy Ending, Awkward Mark Lee (NCT), Established Lee Donghyuck | Haechan/Mark Lee, Heavy Angst, Implied Childhood Sexual Abuse, Implied/Referenced Homophobia, Implied/Referenced Rape/Non-con, Lee Donghyuck | Haechan is a Confident Gay, M/M, Mark Lee (NCT) is Whipped, Minor Chittaphon Leechaiyapornkul | Ten/Suh Youngho | Johnny, Other Additional Tags to Be Added, Sad Lee Donghyuck | Haechan
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-08-13
Updated: 2020-12-29
Packaged: 2021-03-05 23:15:54
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 3
Words: 5,098
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25873474
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/prkslut/pseuds/prkslut
Summary: "I.. I think you're really pretty.""Why?"
Relationships: Jung Yoonoh | Jaehyun/Lee Taeyong, Lee Donghyuck | Haechan/Mark Lee
Comments: 2
Kudos: 44





	1. prologue

**Author's Note:**

> PLEASE READ THE TAGS!!!
> 
> **please note that if you wish to republish or translate this work on any platform you would need my permission (you can reach me through my instagram @issa.wiierdo & my wattpad @prkslxt). if anyone is to republish MY work in any way without my permission and without giving me credit i will-- in the words of the Friends cast-- HUNT YOU DOWN, AND KICK YOUR ASS :)

Lee Donghyuck, that was his name.

Mark stares at the name in the top corner of the plain red folder, brushing his thumb over the neat writing. He finally knew the name of the young man that had been plaguing his mind since he arrived at Seoul National University.

A small smile pulled at his lips, but he stifles it when he hears the soft thud of feet enter the quiet lecture hall. He quickly tucks the folder under his arm and makes it seem as if he were about to leave the empty room when a man pokes his head through the door. He recognizes the pink head of hair in an instant and heaves a sigh of relief. “Ah, Taeyong hyung.”

He sighs with a polite smile, watching his older brother enter the room followed by two friends of theirs, Jung Jaehyun and Nakamoto Yuta.

“What the hell are you still doing here?” The elder of the four scolds him, walking over to where Mark stood and flicking his forehead. “You texted us saying your class was over, but we’ve been outside waiting for half an hour.”

Scrunching his nose against the flick to his forehead, Mark pulls the folder from beneath his arm and shows it to his hyung. “I found something.”

“You made us wait for fucking school supplies?” Jaehyun rolls his eyes and earns an elbow to the ribs by Taeyong.

Mark realizes how ridiculous this all may seem without an explanation and his cheeks burn in mild embarrassment. “You don’t understand. It’s.. _his_ folder.” he murmurs softly, the words almost inaudible to the other three men in the room.

Silence follows his words and Mark begins to wonder if they’d heard him at all. He looks up to repeat what he'd previously said, only to find them staring at him with blank expressions.

“When you say _his_ ,” Taeyong speaks slowly, shortly glancing at Jaehyun and Yuta with an uneasy expression. “do you mean the kid you’ve been stalking since you got here?”

“I’m not stalking him!”

“Sure,” Yuta smirks, sitting on the edge of a table near him and toying with his white hair. “because following him around on campus isn’t considered stalking.”

Mark’s mouth falls open at the accusation. “I don’t follow him!” He glares at Jaehyun and Taeyong upon noticing them trying to contain their laughter. “I’m trying to work up the nerve to talk to him! It’s not stalking!”

Taeyong calms himself down enough to smile at Mark apologetically. “Don’t get touchy about it, we're only kidding.” Taeyong wraps an arm around his brother’s shoulders and squeezes him to show his sincerity. He gestures to the folder in Mark’s hand with a nod of his head. “What are you going to do with that?”

Mark looks at the folder with his lips set in a frown, shrugging beneath Taeyong’s arm. “Turn it into the office maybe?”

“Or you could give it back to him.”

Taeyong, Mark and Yuta turn to look at Jaehyun when he speaks. Mark, among the three of them, was more shocked than the others.

“You want me to do what?”

“I know it seems too much for your antisocial ass to do, but think about it.” Jaehyun suggests with his signature dimpled grin. “You said so yourself that you’ve been trying to find the nerve to talk to him, and now you have a reason to. Just return it to him tomorrow, tell him your name, and see what happens from there.”

“And what if nothing happens?” Yuta asks and Mark feels his heart drop as the japanese male voices his inner thoughts. “What if this kid just takes the folder and leaves and they never talk again?”

“Or,” Taeyong speaks up with light laughter following his words. “Say they strike up conversation and they end up exchanging numbers. Then, boom! One step closer to the relationship Mark’s pining for.”

“I’m not pining--”

“With all that aside, at least he would have talked to him.” Jaehyun adds optimistically. “He’s gotta start somewhere.”

All eyes turn to Mark at the suggestion. He keeps his eyes on the folder in his hands, questioning whether making such a big deal out of all of this was worth it if he didn't even get to talk to him.

The three men in the room with him have known of Mark's infatuation with his classmate since his first day on campus, hearing him refer to him as 'Honey' which they assumed was a temporary name for him until he figured out his real name. Mark cleared up any confusion by admitting to them that the name came from the stranger's skin; describing it looking as smooth and warm as honey.

Hearing himself say it aloud made him cringe, but it was the truth. The stranger's skin resembled honey, and Mark was sure he was the prettiest man he'd ever laid eyes on.

"Mark?"

Mark blinks back to reality to find all eyes still on him, realizing it was Taeyong who had spoken when he opens his mouth to speak again. "Are you giving it to him yourself or not?"

Mark sighs, tucking the folder underneath his arm once again and facing the three with a shrug. "I don't know yet."

"Pussy."

"JAEHYUN!"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> i intended this to be short, but it came out shorter than i thought. hopefully there will be longer updates in the future. again, please read the tags for what this story will include as it continues on, i don't want anyone to be uncomfortable because they chose not to read the warnings.


	2. Don't You Ever Disrespect T-Swift Like That Ever Again

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> cue mark being a shy sensitive baby  
> .  
> .  
> .  
> uh, i didn't know how to write a summary for this sooo yeah

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> this seems rushed and very spacious and i don't really like it but the next chapter will be better i promise.

_Don’t be a pussy.._ Mark reminds himself. He closes his eyes and inhales deeply through his nose. He manages to muster up enough courage to walk towards the vending machines adjacent to the entrance of the school.

  
  
  


In his time _observing_ Donghyuck, Mark had come to realize two things. The first was that Donghyuck only ever walked the halls of the university alone. He'd see him speak to faculty and staff occasionally, but otherwise he was by himself. The second was that, before heading to his first class of the day, Donghyuck always stopped at the vending machine for cookies and an energy drink. He hoped, with any luck, that he wouldn't choose today to break the cycle and leave him looking like an idiot.

  
  
  


After thinking over what to do with the folder the previous night, Mark had decided -- with input from Taeyong, Yuta, and Jaehyun -- that he would ‘coincidentally’ run into Donghyuck at the vending machine and give him back the folder. It was a pretty simple plan considering that it had taken them three hours to come down to, not including the half hour that Taeyong had spent consoling Mark.

  
  
  


With another calming breath, Mark crosses the space with his head ducked down, carefully avoiding the other student’s eyes and makes sure to stay out of anyone's way. He makes it to the vending machine without having to spare a glance at anyone and just in time for when Donghyuck arrives. Said male is dressed in black from head-to-toe, the only exception being the sunflower sticker on his cheek. Mark finds it odd, but only because he doesn't look ridiculous with it.

  
  
  


Mark gulps, feeling the weight of the folder in his bag now that he was less than five feet away from him. Not wanting the boy to think he was watching him -- though he clearly was -- Mark digs out a five dollar bill from his pocket and pretends to be searching the machine with his eyes. Donghyuck casts a sideways glance at Mark, eyeing the money in his hand and he gestures to the machine with a nod of his head.

"You can go ahead if you already know what you want."

His voice is softer than Mark anticipated and he curses himself for blushing at the sound. He shakes his head, unconsciously crumpling the bill in his hand. "Th-That's okay.. I'm s-still deciding."

Donghyuck nods, not seeming to mind Mark's stutter as he turns back to the machine.

The sound of chatter is heard behind them. Mark feigns interest in the snacks in the vending machine, stealing glances at Donghyuck the entire time, while Donghyuck watches Mark through the glass of the machine with a small smile.

"Did you ever plan on giving me my folder back?"

The words make Mark tense, his mouth slowly falling open in shock as Donghyuck turns to face him with a smug smile. "Well?" He asks with an eyebrow raised in a teasing manner.

"H-How did you--?"

"--know you had it?" Donghyuck finishes and Mark nods dumbly in reply. "I overheard this guy talking about someone liking me. I didn't hear the first part of it, so I didn't get a name, but when I caught on to you following me around for the past week, I figured it was you that he was talking about. I also figured, purely on a hunch, that you weren't going to talk to me yourself anytime soon. So I took some initiative and left my folder on my desk _by accident_ just so you'd have a reason to come talk to me."

Mark was dumbfounded and more than a tad bit embarrassed. He stares at Donghyuck with his eyes wide, and a blush creeping up his neck. Not only does Donghyuck know he likes him, but he also knew that Mark was following him and hadn't said anything. And worst of all, he knew Mark didn't have the balls to talk to him on his own. "So you set me up?"

"Pretty much." Donghyuck giggles. He fucking _giggles_ , and Mark's convinced that he prefers the sound to any of his favorite songs after hearing it the one time. "I figured you didn't plan on talking to me any time soon, so I gave you the nudge you needed. Great job being discreet by the way."

Still trying to process the fact that this was all set up to get Mark to talk to him, Mark shoves the bill back into his pocket with a sigh. "There's no need for me to pretend anymore I guess." He meets Donghyuck's eyes long enough to see him smile before he drops his gaze again.

Donghyuck digs into his jacket pocket and pulls out a few crumpled dollar bills, inputting the money into the machine and waiting for his snacks -- an energy drink and cookies, as Mark predicted -- to drop. He grabs them once they do, not seeming to mind the fact that Mark had yet to hand him back the folder as he takes a sip from his drink. "Did you look in the folder yet?"

"I-I didn't." Mark was curious himself as to what was inside, but didn't want to dig into Donghyuck's things. He even forbade Yuta and Jaehyun from doing so the night before. Sure, he had to tackle Yuta and had Taeyong straddle Jaehyun, but he managed to do it. "Why? Did you want me to?" As he asks while he reaching for his bag to pull out the folder.. right as the bell sounds for morning classes to begin.

Donghyuck smiles at him over the top of his drink, tipping an imaginary hat in his direction as he begins to walk off. "To be continued."

Mark watches as he walks away, catching sight of the slight limp in his steps and the hanging of the head as he mixes into the crowd of students on their way to class. He slumps against the vending machine with lips set in a small pout. He never imagined how their first conversation would go, but he knew he never wanted it to go anything like that. He was shocked and embarrassed, and now curious as to why Donghyuck asked if he'd seen what was inside of the folder.

Allowing his curiosity to get the best of him, he pulls the folder from the bag and runs his thumb over the boy's name in the top corner with a sigh. _He wouldn't ask me if I had unless he wanted me to.. right?_ He reasons with himself. He drops his backpack at his feet, paying no mind to the fact that he was going to be late for class as he opens the folder.

Inside is a single sheet of notebook paper, and scribbled on the top line in semi-legible handwriting was--

"--his number?" Yuta chokes, his words coming out in a cough as he snatches the otherwise blank sheet of paper from Mark's hand. "You stalk this twink for a week and he gives you his number, but when I do it I get a fucking restraining order?"

Taeyong rolls his eyes at the man, pulling the paper from his grasp and returning it to Mark. "That's because you were drunk off your ass and serenading him with Taylor Swift at four in the morning."

"And very shitty Taylor Swift at that." Jaehyun mutters from his spot on the couch. He beckons Taeyong over with two fingers, the pink haired man complying and moving to sit on Jaehyun's lap wordlessly. "I mean, come on man, You Belong With Me? Who even likes that song anymore?"

"Don't you ever disrespect T-Swift like that ever again."

"That is so not the point right now!" Mark groans, ignoring the glare Yuta directs at Jaehyun. "Someone tell me what I'm supposed to do."

"Don't serenade him with Taylor Swift for starters." Jaehyun shrugs, earning a slap on the thigh by the man in his lap.

"Don't serenade him at all--" Taeyong tries to speak but Jaehyun cuts him off.

"Especially not with Taylor Swift." Jaehyun teases, looking at Yuta as he speaks and this time Taeyong pinches his thigh while smiling at Mark.

"Focus on me, little bro." He speaks softly, and Mark does. He's always been able to depend on Taeyong for anything. He trusts his judgement and knows he'll never steer him in the wrong direction. He's only ever given him great advice. Mark sometimes finds himself wondering where he stored such wisdom when all Taeyong does is watch cat videos and draw on his bedroom walls.

"First off, don't overthink it. You do that a lot, but now you've got no reason to. You talked to him and got his number all in the same day. Just text him, let him know it's you and take it from there. Don't be like Jaehyun and wait five hours to text back to make yourself not seem 'too available' or you'll end up fucking your hand for another month."

Mark's grimaces as he glances at Jaehyun shortly. "That's.. not something I wanted to hear."

"Don't judge me, it seemed like a good idea at the time." The older man mutters, wrapping his arms around Taeyong's waist and burying his face in his neck.

"It was never a good idea, and you know it." Yuta snorts, splaying out like a starfish on the floor and staring at the ceiling blankly. Jaehyun glares at him from over Taeyong's shoulder, nudging his foot forward slightly to kick him in the arm. Yuta only laughs in response and sticks his tongue out at Jaehyun. Mark wonders how they're considered adults.

"It's all good now," Taeyong mediates, his hand on Jaehyun's thigh holding firm as he turn to smile at him. "You learned your lesson, didn't you Jae?" All he receives is incoherent muttering as a response and he pats Jaehyun's thigh before turning his attention back to Mark. "Anyways, just talk to him. Nothing extravagant like asking his backstory, just casual stuff to get the ball rolling."

"Or dropping in his case."

"What if I can't do causal stuff?" Mark frowns, ignoring Jaehyun's comment with a dejected sigh. "You saw how long it took for me to work up the courage to get his name. Plus I'm terrible at making conversation. I can't even speak to mom and dad when they call. What makes you think I can text him and not make it weird?"

"Because he can't see you through a text." Yuta chimes in. "The only thing that stopped you from talking to him face-to-face without blubbering like an idiot was the fact that he could see you. You lost your confidence when you saw him and knew he saw you."

"To be fair, he can't lose what he never had." Jaehyun laughs softly, shrugging off Mark's glare while continuing to laugh.

"Couldn't the same be said for you with Taeyong's ass?" Yuta retorts in Mark's place, turning his head to find Taeyong looking at him with an eyebrow raised. "Oh, well I guess that goes more for Taeyong than you, huh Jae?"

It was Taeyong's turn to retaliate to Yuta's teasing by kicking him in the side. "Fuck you." He frowns, crossing his arms and sitting back against Jaehyun with his eyes narrowed. "This isn't even about me, we're supposed to be helping Mark." He grumbles.

"It's alright hyung, I.. I-I think I have an idea on what I'm gonna do." The youngest of them spoke. Three pairs of eyes turn on him in an instant, watching him carefully as he rises from his seat while holding onto the paper tightly. "I won't make a big deal out of it, don't worry."

"That's not possible for you, you overthink everything, Mark." Jaehyun teases lightly and the others join in on his laughter. Mark even laughs with them, the tips of his ears turning red.

"I'm just gonna call him." He shrugs as if it were no big deal, but inside he was freaking out. "Nothing to overthink about." Which was another lie. His mind had already rolled out hundreds of things to overthink about in the time it took for him to say those words.

"Except for how you're going to respond when he answers the phone." "What about what you should say if he doesn't answer first?" "What if he gave you a phony phone number?" The three men speak simultaneously, turning to look at one another with their eyebrows furrowed.

Mark eyes them all with his eyes widened slightly, the slight tremor of his hands giving away his nervousness. He drops his gaze to the piece of crumpled paper in his hand, reading over the digits on the page once more. "You really think he'd give me a fake number?" He mumbles dishearteningly.

Seeing the drop in the atmosphere, Taeyong rises from Jaehyun's lap quickly to comfort the youngest. "I don't think that Mark, it was just the first thing to come to mind. I didn't mean--"

"But you said it." Mark pushes out of Taeyong's arms, surprising the older male. "The fact that it was the first thing you said meant that it was on your mind already."

"Mark, look, you're misunderstanding--"

"No I'm not!"

"Okay, heh, time out. Both contenders back to your corners." Yuta attempts to mediate, moving to stand between the two but keeping his focus on Mark. "Dude, calm down. It's nothing to get worked up about." He whispers once Jaehyun had pulled Taeyong out of the room.

"He doesn't think I'm good enough to--"

"He never said that. You're putting words into his mouth." Yuta silences him by putting a finger to his lips. "Taeyong thinks the world of you and has done nothing to hinder you from doing anything you've ever wanted. Don't blow up at him because of a misunderstanding and slight possibility. Understand?"

Mark nods his head in solemn agreement and only then does Yuta take his hand away from his mouth. "Good, now take the bass out of your voice the next time you talk to him. He's done too much for you to throw a bitch fit over some kid you're stalking."

"I'm not--"

"What did I just say about the bass in your voice?" Yuta raises an eyebrow in scolding and Mark only rolls his eyes.

"I didn't have any bass in my voice." He grumbles, allowing Yuta to drag him along out of the room to Taeyong and Jaehyun. The pair drop whatever they were discussing when Yuta and Mark appear, Mark meeting Taeyong's sad gaze with a sorrowful look in his eyes.

"Mhm, whatever you say Simba." Yuta chuckles, nudging him in Taeyong's direction. "Now apologize."

Taeyong shakes his head at Yuta with a nervous smile. "No, that's alright. He doesn't have to--"

"Yes I do." Mark cuts him off softly, taking another step forward to embrace Taeyong. "I shouldn't have yelled at you, or gotten so worked up about it in general seeing as how he probably doesn't even like me."

"Shut up." Jaehyun rolls his eyes, and Mark pulls away from the embrace with a frown. "You're the most annoyingly precious thing on this planet. I don't see how anyone wouldn't like you."

Mark is about to object Jaehyun's compliment, but Taeyong beats him to it. "It's true don't deny it. Just.." He holds out Mark's phone to him, gesturing to the piece of paper in his hand with a small smile. "talk to him."

Mark glances between the three of them, accepting his phone from Taeyong going to his keypad to dial the number with shaking fingers. He presses the phone to his ear, watching Taeyong's expression as the phone rings until--

_"Hello?"_

Mark tenses then, parting his lips to speak but no words come out.

_"Is someone there? Wait, of course there is-- I can hear you breathing."_

Mark doesn't bother with a response, quickly ending the call and balling up the piece of paper in his hand.

"What happened?" Taeyong asks softly, placing a hand on the younger's shoulder and coaxing him to meet his gaze.

Mark swallows around the lump in his throat, his hands shaking slightly. "You were right," he nods slowly. "the number was fake."


	3. Satiate Your Curiosity

Mark woke up the next morning feeling drained. He’d fallen asleep three hours earlier than what he usually would, skipping dinner and deciding to lock himself in his room to think about what he was feeling.

He thought he should be upset with the fact that Donghyuck had given him a fake number, but did he have any right to be? It wasn’t as if they had mutual feelings. To Donghyuck, Mark assumed that he was just some creepy guy that wouldn’t leave him alone.

“Was that your way of rejecting me?” Mark asks dryly. He looks down at Donghyuck with empty eyes, finding the same expression on the other’s face as he gazes up at Mark.

Donghyuck frowns, pausing the tap of his pencil against the cafeteria table and removes one of his headphones from his ear. Which Mark noted was adorn with jewelry. Whether they were clip-ons or real he didn’t know.

Once again, the softness of his voice surprises Mark when he says, “What do you mean?”

“You gave me a fake number.”

Donghyuck’s lips upturn in a small smile. He straightens up from his usual slouch, quirking a slit brow. “Did I?”

This answer caught Mark off guard and pissed him off at the same time. Mark settled for a deep exhale rather than voicing his frustration.

“I get it if you aren’t into me, okay?” He speaks calmly. “We don’t know each other and I haven’t done the best job at trying to be.. _not_ a creep around you. But if you’re not interested, just say that instead of getting my hopes up over something that isn’t going to happen.”

Donghyuck merely blinks at him, his expression gone blank. He hums his agreement after a while. “Okay then. I’m not interested.”

Mark feels his throat tighten at his words. It wasn’t as if he felt anything strongly towards the male, but the words stung. It didn’t help, however, that Donghyuck being outright honest with him only worsened his attraction.

Donghyuck didn’t follow up with any words, although he saw the mix of emotions stirring behind Mark’s eyes. He smiles sweetly, hardly showing any teeth as he shrugs. He goes back to tapping his pencil, cocking his head at Mark with his smile remaining, almost as if to tease. “Feelings are able to change Mark, so I wouldn’t be heartbroken so soon.”

“What?”

Donghyuck nods to the seat beside him. “Sit down.” The words are too demanding for Mark to take him seriously due to his voice. He starts to scoff in protest, but Donghyuck’s expression turns stoic and he speaks again with more harshness. “I said.. _sit_.”

Mark’s never done anything faster in his entire life.

He sits down beside him stiffly, eyeing the male beside him with nervous eyes. Donghyuck, noting Mark’s stiffness, breaks his demeanor to smile. Without removing his gaze from the male in front of him, he removes the other headphone from his ear.

His gaze is searching and Mark feels vulnerable underneath it. He struggles to hold eye contact but manages to do so when the dull chatter of the cafeteria becomes background noise when his focus shifts and he’s lost in Donghyuck eyes. His eyes are prying. Like he’s trying to see beyond the surface into something else. It made Mark shiver, his eyes slotting over the earrings on his ear once again. He counts 6, two bands, a bar, and three little balls. They’re simplistic, all of them silver and glimmering under the fluorescent lighting of the cafeteria.

_Did they hurt?_ Mark almost asks aloud. The skin around the bar is red and swollen, leading him to believe that it was fairly new. _When did he--_

Donghyuck hums, breaking Mark from his daze. He doesn’t seem to pay mind to Mark zoning out as he drags his tongue along his bottom lip, smirking faintly after. “I didn’t give you a fake number.”

“B-But.. there--”

“He wasn’t anyone you need to worry about, Mark.” He murmurs, leaning closer as his gaze searches Mark’s expression. The former’s expression of shock dwindles on confusion. “Go ahead and ask who he was.. satiate your curiosity.” He laughs softly.

Mark prepares himself to ask a question in response, but feels his words catch in his throat when Donghyuck’s hand grazes his thigh gently and he jolts. The action sends a ripple of shock through him and his mouth falls open, eyes blowing wide under Donghyuck’s gaze.

“What?” Donghyuck hums innocently.

“Y-Your--”

“--hand?” He speaks softly and Mark nods dumbly, jumping once more when Donghyuck’s hand grips his thigh. “If you don’t like it then.. move it.”

Mark considers it. Only for a moment, but he does. He feels the warmth of Donghyuck’s palm against the skin of his jeans, seeping through the material and warming his skin. He can feel the twitch of his fingers and the press of his rings as they dig into his leg and he swallows thickly.

“You’re easier to tease than I thought.” Donghyuck chuckles hoarsely. He scoots closer to Mark, sliding his hand further up his thigh as he does. “Are you so infatuated with me that you’d let me do something like this to you, in a public setting at that, without so much as a single objection?”

Mark does his best not to look down, though he really wants to. He holds Donghyuck’s gaze, the panic in his eyes slowing dying out when he remembers something.

“What do you care? No one ever looks back here.”

Donghyuck’s expression falls instantly. His dark, yet perfectly shaped brows furrowing together in confusion. “What?”

“No one looks back here.” Mark reiterates in a voice mirroring a whisper. He nods his head for Donghyuck to look around the cafeteria. Within his first week of _observing_ him, Mark had come to realize just how secluded from the rest of the world he was. Not only did he walk the halls alone, but he also sat alone. His spot, as Mark deemed it, was one too far in the back of the cafeteria, close to the doors for a quick exit and far enough away from the chatter of friends and peers for anyone to notice the boy with the honey-like skin glaring at them all with his headphones on and a pencil trapped between his fingers.

“You chose this spot because you know that no one ever looks back here.”

Donghyuck turns back to Mark with a smile that doesn’t quite reach his eyes. He retracts his hand, much to Mark’s dismay, leaning against them on the table instead. “And why do you think that is? That no one looks back here, I mean.”

Mark has wondered that himself, not having come up with a suitable answer. “They’re too absorbed with themselves maybe? Or.. stereo-typically speaking, if movies and tv shows have taught me anything, the uh..” he glances at Donghyuck sideways, wary of his next words.

Donghyuck laughs softly in response, knowing where Mark was going with this. “It won’t be anything I haven’t heard before, Mark. Go ahead and say it.”

Feeling warmth rise in his cheeks, he continues on. “T-The.. usually the uh, the weirdo or something sits at the back by themselves. People typically don’t want to associate with them, for whatever reason. Maybe you’re not a movie person and I’ve read this entire thing wrong and possibly even offended you but--”

“Ah, ah, ah.” Donghyuck shushes him with a finger to his lips. Once again Mark feels his cheeks redden in a blush, an unmistakable one that Donghyuck wants to tease him for, but decides against it. “Once again, there’s nothing you can say about me that I haven’t already heard before.”

There’s sadness in the words, as well as in Donghyuck’s eyes as he says them.

“What does that--”

Of course, that’s when the bell signalling the end of lunch and morning lectures sounds. Donghyuck shrugs at Mark with half a smile as he rises from his seat, gathering what few belongings he does have and shoving them into his backpack.

“W-Wait,” Mark scrambles to rise from his seat, almost falling over but managing to right himself. “If.. If the number you gave me wasn’t fake then what do I--”

Donghyuck smiles softly at how eager he is, reaching to fix a strand of Mark’s stray hair unexpectedly. Mark tenses, still looking at him with the same puppy dog expression.

”Do you want to talk to me that badly?” He meets his gaze, the rush of students leaving the cafeteria leading him to step forward so Mark can hear him better. “Is this conversation not enough for you until tomorrow?”

Mark shakes his head, wary of the boy’s hand in his hair. “No..” He speaks softly, watching Donghyuck retract his hand from the corner of his eye.

The boy sighs, giving Mark a once over with his lips upturned in a small smirk “Just call me later since you’re so eager. And who knows.. maybe this time I’ll answer.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> this is low key crap and i wanted to make it longer but figured that i'd save the rest of it for the next chapter.


End file.
